ADRIAN — “You have to realize that you’re always setting a standard in our position.”
That’s how Chad O’Brien, athletic director at Adrian High School, views the obligation that comes along with being a teacher and coach.
O’Brien, who has been in his current role since 2021, was recently named Region 6 Athletic Director of the Year by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
A graduate of Lake Orion High School, O’Brien first came to Lenawee County as a student at Adrian College, where he played football for Jim Lyall. It was during his freshman year that he first got involved with Maple athletics — by assisting Dennis Fox in the wrestling program.
In 2002, upon graduating from Adrian College, he became Onsted High School’s head wrestling coach. He spent a few years in Florida, then returned to Michigan.
A social studies teacher, he put in a few stints at Adrian, but his most recent job before becoming the Maples’ athletic director was at Saline High School, from 2016 to 2021, where he served as a teacher, offensive coordinator, and head wrestling coach.
He has also continued to be involved with the Adrian College football program over the years.
Taking on the athletic director’s job at Adrian was a homecoming for O’Brien. He and his wife, Amy, have two children — Ashlynn and Allston — who both attend Adrian Public Schools.
He enjoys getting to be a mentor for Adrian kids.
“The interaction with the kids — that’s what it’s about,” he said.
And through athletics, O’Brien noted, he’s able to interact with students in a different way than being in the classroom.
Being a positive role model is something he takes seriously, knowing that students will follow the lead of the adults around them.
“If they see us not staying calm and collected, and overreacting to things, that’s what they’re going to do,” he said.
“We preach to them about integrity and character, and we have to exemplify that by out actions.”
Outside of the Maple community, O’Brien is an active member of the MHSAA’s Southeastern Conference Athletic Directors group, and serves as president of the Lenawee County Wrestling Board. He also serves on MHSAA committees for wrestling, cheer, and gymnastics.
Adrian High School principal Sam Skeels described O’Brien this way: “Above all, what impresses me about Chad is that he is a generous and caring person. … He has the ability to be tough, caring, funny, and professional all at the same time.”
